Clarence Thomas is the best-known Supreme Court justice — and the most disliked

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the most well-liked justice

Americans are split when it comes to how favorably they view Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who is currently in the midst of contentious confirmation hearings to determine whether he’ll be appointed to the Supreme Court. Of the justices already on the Supreme Court, Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the most popular, according to data from YouGov Ratings. About one-third (34%) of people have a positive opinion of her, while 15% are neutral and 22% feel negatively about her. Another 29% have never heard of her.

Although many Americans say they have a positive view of Ginsburg, she isn’t the most well-known justice sitting on the Supreme Court. That would be Clarence Thomas, who more than three-quarters of Americans have at least heard of. Like Ginsburg, about one-third (33%) of Americans hold a favorable view of him, while 24% think negatively of him and 20% are neutral.

Chief Justice John Roberts falls solidly in the middle when it comes to both positive opinion and overall recognition. About one-quarter (24%) have a positive opinion of him, while 16% have a negative opinion, 23% are neutral, and 37% have not heard of him.

Judges Samuel Alito and Stephen Breyer both had lower positive ratings of 16%. Around half of Americans haven’t heard of Alito (48%) and a slightly larger number are unfamiliar with Breyer (53%). Overall, the least well-known justice on the Supreme Court is Elena Kagan, with 54% of Americans saying they’ve never heard of her.

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At the heart of our company is a global online community, where millions of people and thousands of political, cultural and commercial organizations engage in a continuous conversation about their beliefs, behaviours and brands.